Zipcar launches Zipvan pilot

Zipcar, the leading car sharing network, has announced a pilot in San Francisco that includes full size cargo vans through a new offering called Zipvan. The vans will allow consumers to transport items too bulky for cars or pickup trucks, and give small businesses a new and more affordable option for transporting goods.
March 26, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
3874 Zipcar, the leading car sharing network, has announced a pilot in San Francisco that includes full size cargo vans through a new offering called 4345 Zipvan. The vans will allow consumers to transport items too bulky for cars or pickup trucks, and give small businesses a new and more affordable option for transporting goods. This pilot programme is in response to the performance of the van service currently being offered by Zipcar's UK operations and a Zipcar member survey indicating that nearly 40 per cent of members surveyed would be likely to use Zipvan if available.

By early next month, a total of 15 Ford E-150 cargo vans vehicles will be located throughout San Francisco and Oakland. The vans can be reserved by Zipcar members for hourly or daily use with rates starting from $14.75 per hour and $99 per day, which include gas, insurance, parking, roadside assistance and up to 180 miles of driving per day. Access to the vans is self-serve, so members won't experience the hassles of long lines, paperwork and additional charges associated with traditional van rental.

Zipcar has seen strong utilisation of its cargo van service in London, which has been operating for more than three years as Streetvan (part of Streetcar, a company Zipcar acquired in 2010). During this short-term pilot programme in San Francisco, Zipcar will analyse the performance of Zipvan and member feedback on the programme. Based on these results, the company says it may launch the service in select US and Canadian markets during 2012.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Satellite-based truck tolling provides Slovak solution
    August 12, 2015
    Slovakia opted for a satellite-based tolling system and following last year’s enlargement it now has the European Union’s largest truck user charging system.
    Read More
  • Hard shoulder running aids uniform traffic flow and safer driving
    January 23, 2012
    David Crawford detects a market for European experience. Well-established now in at least three European countries, Hard Shoulder Running (HSR) on motorways is exciting growing interest in the US. A November 2010 Report to Congress by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), on the Efficient Use of Highway Capacity, notes the role of HSR in the European-style Active Traffic Management (ATM) strategies now being recommended for implementation in the US where, until recently, they were virtually unknown.
    Read More
  • Progressing work zone safety systems
    February 1, 2012
    David Crawford investigates progress in a key safety area - work zones. Highway construction zone safety is taken seriously enough in the US to merit a special spring National Work Zone Awareness Week, which in 2010 ran from 19-23 April. Headed by the US Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), this aims to reduce an annual toll of work zone deaths - 720 in 2008 (an average of one every 10 hours) with more than 40,000 traffic injuries (an average of one every 13 minutes).
    Read More
  • Progressing work zone safety systems
    February 6, 2012
    David Crawford investigates progress in a key safety area - work zones
    Read More

Highlighted Content